Church of St Mary, North Petherton

Church of St Mary
Stone building with prominent square tower.
Location within Somerset
General information
Town or city North Petherton
Country England
Coordinates 51°05′32″N 3°00′53″W / 51.0922°N 3.0148°W / 51.0922; -3.0148
Completed 15th century

The Church of St Mary in North Petherton, Somerset, England dates from the 15th century and has been designated as a grade I listed building.[1] It is on the Heritage at Risk register due to the condition of the roof and north aisle parapet.[2]

There was a church in North Petherton before the Norman Conquest and the site belonged to Buckland Priory from the 12th century.[3] The current building dates from the expansion of the town around 1490,[4] although it does contain some fabric from the 13th century.[3]

The minster church has a highly decorated tower which, at 120 feet (37 m) high, was described by Nickolaus Pevsner as one of the finest towers in the county.[1] The tower was built around 1508.[5] It contains a peal of six bells, and a clock built in Bridgwater in 1807.[1] On the stonework are hunky punks in the shape of animals.[6]

The interior has a minstrel gallery from 1623,[1] a carved wooden pulpit from the 15th century, and a brass chandelier which was added in 1984.[7]

The parish is part of the Alfred Jewel benefice within the Sedgemoor deanery.[8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Church of St. Mary". Images of England. Retrieved 19 November 2007.
  2. ↑ "Church of St Mary, Fore Street, North Petherton — Sedgemoor". Heritage at Risk. English Heritage. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
  3. 1 2 Gathercole, Clare. "An archeological assessment of North Petherton" (PDF). English Heritage Extensive Urban Survey. Somerset County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 August 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
  4. ↑ Gathercole, Clare. "North Petherton". Somerset Urban Archaeological Surveys. Somerset County Council. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
  5. ↑ Poyntz Wright, Peter (1981). The Parish Church Towers of Somerset, Their construction, craftsmanship and chronology 1350 - 1550. Avebury Publishing Company. ISBN 0-86127-502-0.
  6. ↑ Wright, Peter Poyntz (2004). Hunky Punks: A Study in Somerset Stone Carving (2 ed.). Heart of Albion Press. pp. 124–135. ISBN 978-1872883755.
  7. ↑ R W Dunning, C R Elrington (Editors), A P Baggs, M C Siraut (1992). "North Petherton: Churches". A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 6: Andersfield, Cannington, and North Petherton Hundreds (Bridgwater and neighbouring parishes). Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
  8. ↑ "St Mary the Virgin, North Petherton". Church of England. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
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